Colonel.
Major.
Wow.
Yeah.
Let's take it inside.
Clear the area.
Sir!
I'm gonna have to ask you to exit the doughnut.
I told you I don't wanna join your super-secret boy band.
No, no, no. See, I remember, you do everything yourself.
- How's that working out for you? - It's... It's... It's...
I'm sorry. I don't wanna get off on the wrong foot.
Do I look at the patch or the eye?
Honestly, I'm a bit hung over.
I'm not sure if you're real or if I'm having...
I am very real.
I'm the realest person you're ever gonna meet.
- Just my luck. Where's the staff here? - That's not looking so good.
I've been worse.
We've secured the perimeter,
but I don't think we should hold it for too much longer.
- You're fired. - That's not up to you.
Tony, I want you to meet Agent Romanoff.
- Hi. - I'm a S.H.I.E.L.D. shadow.
Once we knew you were ill, I was tasked to you by Director Fury.
I suggest you apologise.
You've been very busy.
You made your girl your CEO, you're giving away all your stuff.
You let your friend fly away with your suit.
Now, if I didn't know better...
You don't know better. I didn't give it to him. He took it.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. He took it?
You're Iron Man and he just took it?
The little brother walked in there, kicked your ass and took your suit?
Is that possible?
Well, according to Mr. Stark's database security guidelines,
there are redundancies to prevent unauthorised usage.
- What do you want from me? - What do we want from you?
What do you want from me?
You have become a problem, a problem I have to deal with.
Contrary to your belief, you are not the centre of my universe.
I have bigger problems than you in the southwest region to deal with.
Hit him.
Oh, God, are you gonna steal my kidney and sell it?
Could you please not do anything awful for five seconds?
- What did she just do to me? - What did we just do for you?
That's lithium dioxide. It's gonna take the edge off.
We're trying to get you back to work.
Give me a couple of boxes of that. I'll be right as rain.
It's not a cure, it just abates the symptoms.
Doesn't look like it's gonna be an easy fix.
Trust me, I know. I'm good at this stuff.
I've been looking for a suitable replacement for palladium.
I've tried every combination, every permutation of every known element.
Well, I'm here to tell you, you haven't tried them all.
Hey, hey, hey. Special delivery.
Candygram.
I brought you something.
Oh, yeah.
We got you the bird, pal.
This is not my bird.
What do you mean? That's the bird. This is the bird.
Yeah. Pulled a lot of strings to get this bird.
This is a great bird.
- It's a beautiful bird. - We got this all the way from Russia.
Hey, man, this not my bird.
Well, listen, even if it's not the bird, I mean, this is a gorgeous bird.
I mean, you know, look, don't get so attached to things.
Learn to let go.
Wait a minute. Jack, what is that?
Is that... That's not a helmet. What is that?
Ivan... What's this? Jack.
Is that a helmet? It doesn't look like a helmet to me.
How... How are you supposed to get a head in there?
- Jack, could you put your head in there? - No.
Try to put your head in there. Go ahead. Try to put your head in there.
See, Ivan? He can't put his head in there.
That's... That's not a helmet. It's a head. I need to put a guy in there.
I need to fit a person in that suit. You understand?
- Drone better. - What? Drone better?
Why is drone better? Why is drone better?
People make problem.
Trust me. Drone better.
Ivan, you know, I like you. I got you the bird.
You said, "No problem."
That's what you said to me. You said, "No problem."
Now I need suits. The government wants suits.
Like Iron Man. You understand?
That's what the people want. That's what's gonna make them happy.
Hey, man.
Don't get too attached to things.
Learn to let go.
These drones better steal the show, Ivan.
You understand? Better rock my world, Ivan.
Unbelievable.
This ought to get the Senate off my ass.
- It's functional? - Fully mission-capable.
Good. Get Hammer down here to weaponize it.
Sir?
Justin Hammer's making a weapons presentation at the Expo.
We'd like this to introduce it.
Sir, I don't believe that the Expo...
Colonel, the world needs to see this fast.
- We've got to make this happen. - Yes, General, but...
It's also an order.
Yes, sir.
Good work, Colonel. You've made your country proud.
Thank you, sir.
That thing in your chest is based on unfinished technology.
No, it was finished.
It has never been particularly effective until I miniaturised it and put it in my...
No. Howard said the arc reactor
was the stepping stone to something greater.
He was about to kick off an energy race that was gonna dwarf the arms race.
He was on to something big,
something so big that it was gonna make the nuclear reactor
look like a triple-A battery.
Just him, or was Anton Vanko in on this, too?
Anton Vanko is the other side of that coin.
Anton saw it as a way to get rich.
When your father found out, he had him deported.
When the Russians found out he couldn't deliver,
they shipped his ass off to Siberia
and he spent the next 20 years in a vodka-fuelled rage.
Not quite the environment you want to raise a kid in,
the son you had the misfortune of crossing paths with in Monaco.
You told me I hadn't tried everything.
What do you mean I haven't tried everything? What haven't I tried?
He said that you were the only person with the means and knowledge
to finish what he started.
He said that?
Are you that guy? Are you?
'Cause if you are, then you can solve the riddle of your heart.
I don't know where you get your information,
but he wasn't my biggest fan.
What do you remember about your dad?
He was cold, he was calculating.
He never told me he loved me. He never even told me he liked me,
so it's a little tough for me to digest
when you're telling me he said the whole future was riding on me
and he's passing it down. I don't get that.
You're talking about a guy whose happiest day
was when he shipped me off to boarding school.
That's not true.
Well, then, clearly you knew my dad better than I did.
As a matter of fact, I did. He was one of the founding members of S.H.I.E.L.D.
What?
- I got a 2:00. - Wait, wait, wait, wait.
- What's this? - Okay, you're good, right?
- No, I'm not good. - You got this? Right? Right?
Got what? I don't even know what I'm supposed to get.
Natasha will remain a floater at Stark with her cover intact.
- You remember Agent Coulson, right? - Yeah.
And Tony,
remember, I got my eye on you.
We've disabled all communications. No contact with the outside world.
Good luck.
Please.
First thing, I need a little bodywork. I'll put in a little time at the lab.
If we could send one of your goon squad down to The Coffee Bean,
Cross Creek, for a Starbucks run, or something like that, that'd be nice.
I'm not here for that.
I've been authorised by Director Fury
to use any means necessary to keep you on premises.
If you attempt to leave or play any games,
I will tase you and watch Supernanny while you drool into the carpet.
- Okay? - I think I got it, yeah.
Enjoy your evening's entertainment.
Think this is the power source?
Major, this is not a scientific exercise. Let's just focus on arming it, all right?
Yes, sir.
Oh, yes!
Oh, yes, yes, yes.
Is it my birthday?
You got it. What did you do? What did you do?
- Is this what I think it is? - Yes, it is.
Hammer, I want to know what you're gonna do for us.
What am I going to do for you?
Well, the first thing I'm gonna do for you is I'm gonna upgrade your software.
- And then, second, I think I should... - That's not what I'm talking about.
I'm talking about firepower.
Well, you're talking to the right guy.
Claridge Hi-Tec, semi-automatic, 9mm pistol.
Too downtown? I agree.
M24 shotgun, pump action.
Five-round magazine.
You know what? You're not a hunter.
What am I talking about? I'm getting rid of it.
This is the FN-2000 from Belgium.
They do make something better than waffles.
It's beautiful, but I can tell this isn't disco enough for you,
so I'm gonna put it right here.
You're looking at a Milkor 40mm grenade launcher.
Tear gas, smoke. Hippie control.
You're tough.
Let me tell you something. Size does matter.
Don't let anyone tell you different.
This is an M1 347.62 Minigun.
Six individual barrels. The torso taker, powder maker.
Our boys in uniform call it Uncle Gazpacho,
or Puff the Magic Dragon.
Okay.
These are the Cubans, baby. This is the Cohibas, the Montecristos.
This is a kinetic-kill, side-winder vehicle
with a secondary cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine RDX burst.
It's capable of busting the bunker under the bunker you just busted.
If it were any smarter, it would write a book.
A book that would make Ulysses look like it was written in crayon.
It would read it to you.
This is my Eiffel Tower.
This is my Rachmaninoff's Th ird. My Piet¨¤.
It's completely elegant. It's bafflingly beautiful.
It's capable of reducing the population of any standing structure to zero.
I call it the Ex-Wife.
That's the best I got.
Are we gonna do this? Give me something here.
- You're like a sphinx. I can't read you. - I think I'll take it.
- Which one? - All of it.
All of it.
Everything is achievable through technology.
Better living, robust health
and for the first time in human history, the possibility of world peace.
I'm Howard Stark,
and everything you'll need for the future can be found right here.
City of the Future? City of Tomorrow? City of...
I'm Howard Stark,
and everything you'll need in the future can be found right here.
So, from all of us at Stark Industries,
I would like to personally...
Tony, what are you doing back there? What is that?
Put that back. Put it back where you got it from.
Where's your mother? Maria?
Go on. Go, go, go, go.
All right, I think we got...
I'll... I'll... I'll come in and...
Are you waiting on me?
So, from all of us at Stark Industries, I'd like to personally show you
my ass.
I'd like to... I can't... This is...
I can't... We have this, don't we?
This is a ridiculous way...
Everything
is achievable
through technology.
Tony?
You're too young to understand this right now,
so I thought I would put it on film for you.
I built this for you.
And someday you'll realise that it represents a whole lot more
than just people's inventions. It represents my life's work.
This is the key to the future.
I'm limited by the technology of my time, but one day you'll figure this out.
And when you do,
you will change the world.
What is and always will be my greatest creation
is you.
- $6. Six. - I don't have any dough.
- Here. - No, sir, that's too much.
No, it's fine. Take that.
- It's fine. - No, se? Or.
Take it. Take it. I don't like people handing me things.
If you just drop that there, that'd be great.
- Are you Iron Man? - Sometimes.
We believe in you.
It was an illegal seizure of trademark property.
- Miss Potts? - Relax.
- Mr. Stark... - Is here.
- He refuses... - I don't. It's fine.
- I'll just be a second. - Listen, it's our position
that Stark has and continues to maintain
proprietary ownership of the Mark II platform.
When Mr. Stark announced he was indeed Iron Man,
- he was making a promise to America. - No, the suit belongs to us.
We trusted that he would look out for us.
- Yeah, but you're not... Burt... - He obviously did not.
- And now we learn that his secretary... - Yes, it does.
...a woman named Virginia "Pepper" Potts,
has been appointed as CEO of Stark Industries.
What are her qualifications?
- No. - Ms. Potts is doing
nothing to manage this terrible...
- Mute. - No...
Burt... Burt... Burt, listen to me.
Don't tell me that we have the best patent laWyers in the country
and then not let me pursue this.
I'll get this stuff out of here.
Well, then, tell the President to sign an order.
We'll talk about it at the Expo.
Hammer's giving some presentation tomorrow evening.
- Will Tony Stark be there? - Will I?
- No, he will not. Bye. - I would like to be.
- Got a minute? - No.
Come on, you just got off the phone. You're fine, 30 seconds.
Twenty-nine. Twenty-eight.
I was just driving over here,
and I thought I was coming to basically apologise, but I'm not.
- You didn't come here to apologise? - Look, that goes without saying,
and I'm working on that.
But I haven't been entirely upfront with you,
and I just want to try to make good.
Can I move this? This is crazy.
It's like a Ferris wheel going.
- I'm trying to get some... - No.
Do you know how short life is?
And if I never got to express...
And by the way, this is somewhat revelatory to me.
And I don't care... I mean, I care. It would be nice.
I'm not expecting you to...
Look, here's what I'm trying to say.
- I'm just gonna say it. - Let me stop you right here, okay?
Because if you say "I" one more time,
I'm gonna actually hurl something at your head, I think.
I am trying to run a company.
- Do you have any idea what that entails? - Yes.
People are relying on you to be Iron Man and you've disappeared,
and all I'm doing is putting out your fires and taking the heat for it.
I am trying to do the job that you were meant to do.
Did you bring me strawberries?
Did you know that there's only one thing on Earth that I'm allergic to?
Allergic to strawberries.
This is progress, Pepper.
I knew there was a correlation between you and this.
- I need you... - I need you, too.
- ...to leave now. - That's what I'm trying to...
Ms. Potts?
- Hi, come on in. - Wheels up in 25 minutes.
Thank you.
- Anything else, boss? - I'm good, Hap.
No, I'll be just... another minute.
I lost both the kids in the divorce.
No.
Are you blending in well here, Natalie? Here at Stark Enterprises?
Your name is Natalie, isn't it?
I thought you two didn't get along.
- No. That's not so. - It's just me you don't care for.
- No? Nothing? - Actually, while you're here,
maybe you and Natalie could discuss the matter of the personal belongings.
Absolutely.
I'm surprised you can keep your mouth shut.
Boy, you're good.
You are mind-blowingly duplicitous. How do you do it?
You just tear things... You're a triple impostor.
I've never seen anything like you. Is there anything real about you?
Do you even speak Latin?
Which means? Wait. What? What did you just say?
It means you can either drive yourself home or I can have you collected.
You're good.
Jarvis, could you kindly Vac-U-Form a digital wire frame?
I need a manipulatable projection.
1974 Stark Expo model scan complete, sir.
How many buildings are there?
Am I to include the Belgian waffle stands?
That was rhetorical. Just show me.
What does that look like to you, Jarvis? Not unlike an atom.
In which case the nucleus would be here.
Highlight the unisphere.
- Lose the footpaths. Get rid of them. - What is it you're trying to achieve, sir?
I'm discovering... Correction.
I'm rediscovering a new element, I believe.
Lose the landscaping, the shrubbery, the trees.
Parking lots, exits, entrances.
Structure the protons and the neutrons using the pavilions as a framework.
Dad.
Dead for almost 20 years, and still taking me to school.
The proposed element should serve as a viable replacement for palladium.
Thanks, Dad.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to synthesise.
Get ready for a major remodel, fellas. We're back in hardware mode.
- I heard you broke the perimeter. - Yeah.
That was, like, three years ago. Where you been?
- I was doing some stuff. - Yeah, well, me, too, and it worked.
Hey, I'm playing for the home team, Coulson,
you and all your Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers.
Now, are you gonna let me work or break my balls?
What's this doing here?
That's it.
- Bring that to me. - You know what this is?
It's exactly what I need to make this work.
Lift the coil.
Go, go. Put your knees into it.
There you go. And...
Drop it. Drop it.
Perfectly level. I'm busy. What do you want?
Nothing. Goodbye. I've been reassigned.
Director Fury wants me in New Mexico.
- Fantastic. Land of Enchantment. - So I'm told.
- Secret stuff? - Something like that.
- Good luck. - Bye.
- Thanks. - We need you.
- Yeah, more than you know. - Not that much.
Initialising prismatic accelerator.
Approaching maximum power.
That was easy.
Congratulations, sir.
You have created a new element.
Sir, the reactor has accepted the modified core.
I will begin running diagnostics.
Hey, Ivan.
I got Senator Stern here.
Thought we'd swing over and look at some of the drone designs.
The drone is not going to be ready.
Not ready? What do you mean?
I can make presentation, not demonstration.
What the hell is the difference?
Presentation. No fly. No shoot.
Well, wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait.
What can you make them do? I mean, this is a weapons demonstration.
- I can make salute. - You can make salute?
What do you mean, "make salute"?
What the hell does that mean, Ivan? This is not what we agreed to, okay?
You promised me suits and then you promised me drones.
- Hey, man, everything will be okay. - This is not what I wanted.
Hey, there he is. It's the bird man.
Now you like the bird. Is that right? Is that your bird? I'm confused.
You said it wasn't, but now it looks like you're best of pals.
You love that bird, don't you? You know what? Take the bird.
Hey!
Take his pillows, too. Both of them.
And his shoes. Take his shoes.
I took your stuff.
How does that make you feel? Do you feel bad?
Good. 'Cause that's how I feel!
We had a contract.
I saved your life
and you give me suits.
That was our deal.
And you did not deliver.
I don't know if you're a genius or a fraud. I don't know what you are.
Something really, really great fell into my lap.
And if it hadn't, I'd be at your mercy tonight.
Now I have a piece of Stark tech that I pimped out myself.
And now your overpriced paperweights
are gonna look like a backdrop to my demonstration.
Do you dig what I'm getting at here?
I don't know if you know this, but I don't speak Russian!
I'm gonna leave now.
I'm gonna go to the Expo. Maybe I'll even get laid.
You see these guys? They're your babysitters.
They are not to be trifled with.
When I get back, we're gonna renegotiate
the terms of our agreement.
And you're gonna make good on our arrangement
because if you don't,
you're gonna be exactly what you were when I found you,
a dead man.
You got that?
Maybe you can watch me on TV.
Dummy, you, can we clean up this mess? You're killing me.
- You know I don't... - Incoming call
with a blocked number, sir.
My phone privilege is reinstated. Lovely.
Coulson. How's the Land of Enchantment?
Hey, Tony, how you doing?
- I double cycle. - You what?
You told me double cycle's more power. Good advice.
You sound pretty sprightly for a dead guy.
You, too.
- Trace him. - Sir.
Now, the true history of Stark name will be written.
Jarvis, where is he?
Accessing the Oracle grid. Eastern Seaboard.
What your father did to my family over 40 years,
I will do to you in 40 minutes.
Sounds good. Let's get together and hash it out.
Tri-State area.
Manhattan and outlying boroughs.
I hope you're ready.
Call trace incomplete.
- Sir... - You want to run some tests, run them.
And assemble the suit while you're at it. Put it together now.
- We are unclear as to the effects... - I don't want to hear it, Jarvis.
That tastes like coconut.
And metal.
Oh, wow, yeah!
I'll keep the car down here, all right?
Thank you, Happy.
...Justin Hammer. His presentation will begin shortly in the main pavilion.
Yeah.
That's what I'm talking about. Thanks for coming.
Ladies and gentlemen, for far too long,
this country has had to place its brave men and women in harm's way,
but then the Iron Man arrived,
and we thought the days of losing lives were behind us.
Sadly, that technology was kept out of reach.
That's not fair. That's not right.
- And it's just too bad. - Oh, Lord.
Regardless, it was an impressive innovation,
one that grabbed headlines the world over.
Well, today, my friends,
the press is faced with quite a different problem.
They are about to run out of ink.
Get that out of here.
Ladies and gentlemen,
today I present to you
the new face of the United States military.
The Hammer drone.
Army!
Navy!
Air Force!
Marines!
Yeah!
That's a hell of a lot better than some cheerleaders, let me tell you.
But as revolutionary as this technology is,
there will always be a need for man to be present in the theatre of war.
Ladies and gentlemen, today I am proud to present to you
the very first prototype
in the Variable Threat Response Battle Suit
and its pilot, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes.
What?
For America and its allies, Hammer Industries is reporting for...
We got trouble.
Tony, there are civilians present.
I'm here on orders. Let's not do this right now.
Give them a wave.
Hey, all right. Yeah.
All these people are in danger. We gotta get them out of here.
You gotta trust me for the next five minutes.
Yeah, I tried that. I got tossed around your house, remember?
Listen, I think he's working with Vanko.
Vanko's alive?
Yeah.
Where is he?
- What? - Where's Vanko?
- Who? - Tell me.
What are you doing here, man?
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
- Is that you? - No, I'm not doing that. That's not me.
I can't move. I'm locked up. I'm locked up!
Get out of here. Go! This whole system's been compromised.
Let's take it outside.
No. No!
- Jarvis, break in. I need to own him. - Yes, sir.
Tony, Tony, I'm locked on. I have target lock.
- On what? - On you.
Tony, on your six!
- What's going on? What's happening? - The software's been overridden.
What? What do you mean it's been overridden?
- What does that mean? - I think he slaved the drones.
That's impossible.
- Call the guards. - All the phones are down, sir.
Well, then call their... Call their cells.
Their cell phones are not working, either, sir.
He's locked us out of the mainframe.
Who's locked you out of the mainframe?
Please, please, go away. Go away.
- I've got this handled. - Have you now?
Yes, I do.
In fact, if your guy hadn't showed up, this wouldn't be happening.
So please, now go away. Thank you.
Listen, we got to get these bitches out of here.
What?
You tell me who's behind this.
- Who's behind this? - Ivan. Ivan Vanko.
- Where is he? - He's at my facility.
- I need NYPD, please. - No, no, no!
- Command Central. - No, no, honey.
- Don't call the authorities. - Okay. Right away. Right away.
Step aside. Step aside.
Tell me everything you know. Go.
- How are we doing, Jarvis? - Remote reboot unsuccessful.
This way.
Nobody's answering the phone. What's going on?
Get in the car. Take me to Hammer Industries.
- I'm not taking you anywhere. - Fine. You want me to drive?
No, I'm driving. Get in the car.
Nice work, kid.
- You got multiples coming in on you. - Let's get this away from the Expo.
When we arrive, I need you to watch the perimeter.
I'm gonna enter the facility and take down the target.
- Watch the road. - I got it. I got it.
Listen, listen.
A pack just peeled off. They're headed back to the Expo.
Got it.
I'm closing on you.
Ordnance coming in hot, Tony. Watch it.
- Stay in the car. - I'm not staying in the car.
I said, stay in the car.
What are you wearing?
Look, I'm not letting you go in there alone.
You want to help? Keep the car running.
Okay.
Hey, hey, hey. You can't come in here.
Hold on. Hey!
Each set of drones is communicating
- in its own unique language. - Well, choose one and focus on that.
Have you tried Russian? Why don't you try Russian?
Attention. We have intrusion on Grid W.
We got it. We're on our way.
I got him!
- Rhodey, you still locked on? - Yeah.
Drop your socks and grab your Crocs. We're about to get wet on this ride.
Wait, wait, wait!
He's gone.
I'm sorry, buddy. Had to thin out the herd.
What's your 20?
- What are you doing? - I'm rebooting Rhodey's suit.
Tony!
Reboot complete.
You got your best friend back.
- Thank you very much, Agent Romanoff. - Well done with the new chest piece.
I am reading significantly higher output and your vitals all look promising.
Yes, for the moment, I'm not dying. Thank you.
What do you mean you're not dying? Did you just say you're dying?
Is that you? No, I'm not.
- Not any more. - What's going on?
I was going to tell you. I didn't want to alarm you.
You were gonna tell me? You really were dying?
- You didn't let me. - Why didn't you tell me that?
I was gonna make you an omelette and tell you.
Hey, hey. Save it for the honeymoon. You got incoming, Tony.
Looks like the fight's coming to you.
- Great. Pepper? - Are you okay now?
I am fine. Don't be mad.
- I will formally apologise... - I am mad!
...when I'm not fending off a Hammeroid attack.
- Fine. - We could have been in Venice.
Oh, please.
Rhodes?
Snap out of it, buddy. I need you.
They're coming. Come on, let's roll. Get up.
Oh, man. You can have your suit back.
You okay?
Yeah, thanks.
- Tony, look, I'm sorry, okay? - Don't be.
No. I should have trusted you more.
I'm the one who put you in this position. Forget it.
No. It's your fault. I just wanted to say I'm sorry.
Thank you. That's all I wanted to hear. Partner.
They're coming in hot, any second. What's the play?
Well, we want to take the high ground, okay?
So let's put the biggest gun up on that ridge.
Got you.
- Where do you want to be? - Where are you going?
- What're you talking about? - I meant me.
You have a big gun. You are not the big gun.
- Tony, don't be jealous. - No. It's subtle,
- all the bells and whistles. - Yeah.
- It's called being a badass. - Fine.
All right. You go up top. I'll draw them in.
Don't stay down here. This is the worst place to be.
Okay, you got a spot. Where's mine?
It's the kill box, Tony. Okay? This is where you go to die.
- See that? - Yeah, yeah, nice.
Rhodey?
Get down.
Wow. I think you should lead with that next time.
Yeah. Sorry, boss. I can only use it once. It's a one-off.
I told you that five minutes ago.
That's your guy here.
- Excuse me? - You're being placed under arrest.
- Are you kidding me? - Hands behind your back, sir.
I'm trying to help here.
I get it. I see what you're doing. You're trying to pin this on me, huh?
That's good. That's good.
You're starting to think like a CEO, taking out the competition.
I like that. You think you're making a problem for me?
I'm gonna make a problem for you.
I'm gonna be seeing you again real soon.
When they get here, I think you should station them
at the south, east and both west exits.
We shut down the 7 train in and out of Willets Point already.
Well, have city buses there to ferry people to operating lines.
Yeah. Are you coming with us?
- No, I'm gonna stay till the park is clear. - Okay.
Heads up. You got one more drone incoming.
This one looks different.
The repulsor signature is significantly higher.
Good to be back.
This ain't gonna be good.
I got something special for this guy.
I'm gonna bust his bunker with the Ex-Wife.
With the what?
- Hammer tech? - Yeah.
I got this.
Rhodes. I got an idea.
- You want to be a hero? - What?
I could really use a sidekick. Put your hand up.
- This is your idea? - Yep.
I'm ready. I'm ready. Go, go, go!
Take it.
You lose.
All these drones are rigged to blow. We gotta get out of here, man.
Pepper?
Oh, my God! I can't take this any more.
- You can't? - I can't take this.
- Look at me. - My body, literally,
cannot handle the stress.
I never know if you're gonna kill yourself or wreck the whole company.
I think I did okay.
I quit. I'm resigning.
That's it.
What did you just say? You're done?
That's surprising. No, it's not surprising. I get it.
- You don't have to make any excuses. - I'm... I'm... I'm not making any excuses.
You actually were just making excuses.
- But you don't have to. - No, I wasn't making an excuse.
- I'm actually very justified. - Listen. Hey, hey.
- You deserve better. - Well...
You've taken such good care of me.
I've been in a tough spot, but you got me through it, so...
Right?
- Thank you. - Yeah.
- Thank you for understanding. - Yeah, yeah. Let's talk clean-up.
- I'll handle the transition. It'll be smooth. - Okay. What about the press?
Because you only had the job for a week. That's gonna seem...
- Well, with you it's like dog years. - I know.
I mean, it's like the Presidency...
Weird.
- No, it's not weird. - It's okay, right?
- Yeah. - Run that by me again.
I think it was weird.
You guys look like two seals fighting over a grape.
- I had just quit, actually. - Yeah, so we're not...
You don't have to do that. I heard the whole thing.
- You should get lost. - I was here first. Get a roof.
- I thought you were out of one-liners. - That's the last one.
- You kicked ass back there, by the way. - Thank you. You, too.
Listen, my car got taken out in the explosion,
so I'm gonna have to hang on to your suit for a minute, okay?
Not okay. Not okay with that.
It wasn't a question.
How are you gonna resign if I don't accept?
I don't think I want you looking at that.
I'm not sure it pertains to you any more.
Now this, on the other hand, is Agent Romanoff's assessment of you.
Read it.
"Personality overview. Mr. Stark displays compulsive behaviour."
In my own defence, that was last week.
"Prone to self-destructive tendencies." I was dying.
I mean, please. And aren't we all?
"Textbook narcissism"?
Agreed.
Okay, here it is.
"Recruitment assessment for Avenger Initiative. Iron Man? Yes."
- I gotta think about it. - Read on.
"Tony Stark not...
"Not recommended"?
That doesn't make any sense.
How can you approve me but not approve me?
I got a new ticker.
I'm trying to do right by Pepper.
I'm in a stable-ish relationship.
Which leads us to believe at this juncture
we'd only like to use you as a consultant.
You can't afford me.
Then again, I will waive my customary retainer
in exchange for a small favour.
Rhodey and I are being honoured in Washington and we need a presenter.
I'll see what I can do.
It is my honour to be here today to present these distinguished awards
to Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes and Mr. Tony Stark,
who is, of course, a national treasure.
Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel,
for such an exceptionally distinguished performance.
- You deserve this. - Thank you, sir.
Mr. Stark.
Thank you for such an exceptionally distinguished performance.
You deserve this.
Oh, sorry.
Funny how annoying a little prick can be, isn't it?
Let's get a photo.
Sir, we've found it.